As the holidays near, I become less resistant to the lures of any luxe, shiny, metallic makeup items, particularly those with a pretty pattern. Initially I wasn't going to purchase the Illuminating Powder but ultimately found myself helpless against the elegant gold packaging and shimmery delicate beaded design. Plus, it's perfumed with Dior's J'Adore fragrance.

There is another one available in Rose d'Or, which has a more pink hue, but the gold Perle d'Or appealed to me more.

What I didn't realize at first was that this necklace, and others in previous Dior ads like the one below, was used in the bottle's silhouette as a result of former Dior designer John Galliano's Maasai-inspired collections.

I don't really want to get into how Galliano appropriated Maasai culture or his other racist views, but I will say that it's interesting how Dior reinterpreted some of their past designs in this powder. I like that's it not clear whether it's a literal representation of one of Galliano's necklaces or if it's vaguely based on the J'Adore perfume bottle and ads.

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Ooh. You got the powder. I was soo disappointed when I learned this wasn't going to be released here in the US. I was wondering where did you purchase it from. Is there an online retailer selling this and do you mind letting me know what the price is and the shipping costs? Thanks

Hi! I actually ended up getting it from Selfridge's. I paid an exorbitant amount to have it shipped here (25 GBP), but at least it got here quickly! Harrod's also has it but their shipping is the same price and last time I ordered from them it took forever.